Softball Slapping: Teaching Proper Use of the Upper Body

Oftentimes players that are new to softball slapping have a difficult time with certain components of the upper-body during their swing.

This is not surprising given the fact that slap-hitting is a major change from what they have been taught with traditional hitting.

But if you can get your slappers to become adequate with their mechanics, they can wreak havoc when running the bases as a high school or travel ball player.

In this weeks video tip I explain one important element of softball slapping swing…specifically how to keep the hands back during the crossover step. Click below to watch the tip, and then read some additional explanations below the video!

To recap, here are some of the most important elements of using the hands properly when executing softball slapping.

If you are working with new slappers, you will often notice that their hands “drift” forward during the crossover step. When this happens the player will be swinging with all forearms and wrists. This might be ok for a “soft-slap” but as the player progresses this will hinder their development.

Instead of allowing the hands to drift forward, teach your players to “fight” to keep their hands back. When they keep the hands back, they will be able to incorporate their entire upper body into the slap-hitting swing.

When this is done correctly, you will notice that the slapper will start their swing from their back shoulder, as opposed to starting it from the middle of their body when they allow the hands to drift forward with their crossover step.

This is merely one small aspect of softball slapping. There are also the swing components, how to execute the crossover step properly, and much more.

But if you can get your new slappers to learn how to keep their hands back, they will have a great start to accomplishing greater success as a slap-hitter!

Do you have questions, need clarification, or have something to add? Leave a comment below or over on Facebook to start the conversation!